National News Briefs

The FBI; its law enforcement partners; and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) recovered 168 children who were being victimized through prostitution and arrested 281 pimps on state and federal charges last month. This was accomplished during Operation Cross Country VIII, a week-long enforcement action to address commercial child sex trafficking throughout the United States, which included enforcement actions in 106 cities across 54 FBI field divisions nationwide.

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“Child sex traffickers create a living nightmare for their adolescent victims,” said Leslie R. Caldwell, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. “They use fear and force and treat children as commodities of sex to be sold again and again. This operation puts traffickers behind bars and rescues kids from their nightmare so they can start reclaiming their childhood.” To date, the FBI and its task force partners have recovered nearly 3,600 children from the streets. The investigations and subsequent 1,450 convictions have resulted in lengthy sentences, including 14 life terms and the seizure of more than $3.1 million in assets.

Marchers unite for marriage

WORLD News Service

WASHINGTON—Elaine Soto and her family left New Jersey at 3 a.m. on Thursday, June 20, 2014, to come to the March for Marriage in Washington, D.C. She brought her four children to “open their eyes to the fact they don’t have to shrink, be embarrassed or ashamed even if what they believe is not politically correct.”

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This year marks the second annual marriage march, held to ask Congress to define marriage according to traditional, biblical standards. The marchers this year included people of different ages, races, religions, and cultures, all united under the belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. They gathered on the Capitol lawn to let politicians know the fight for marriage is not over.

“We are not under an obligation to defy God to obey you,” former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said at Thursday’s rally, speaking to the government in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act last year. That law provided a federal definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Currently, states can decide whether or not to allow gay marriage—19 have overruled homosexual marriage bans and now allow same-sex unions. But legal challenges have been filed in every state that bans same-sex marriage, and the issue eventually will end up back before the Supreme Court.

Survey Finds Christians Won’t Be Duped In Regards to “God Movies”

Christian News Service

OXFORD, Miss. –The so-called “Year of the Bible” has Christian moviegoers packing movie theaters across the country. Films like “Son of God,” “Moms’ Night Out” and “God’s Not Dead” racked up a combined 218 million dollars in ticket sales in 2014. A new survey, however, reveals the faithful won’t be duped by movies that are Christian in name only. According to a survey of 1200 respondents from Oxford-based Christian News Service and conducted by American Insights, 79% of those polled say “historical and biblical accuracy is important.” Two-thirds (66%) of all adults and 74% of Christians (who make up 63% of all survey respondents) are likely to see a movie related to God. “While some in Hollywood only see the Christian community as a financially lucrative target audience, many believers feel Hollywood doesn’t portray Christianity fairly,” said Russ Jones, president/CEO of Christian News Service.